By Delainey Muscato
St. Bonaventure University
One dog, that went on a solo journey for 10 days through the wilderness, brought the Cattaraugus community together in the most unique way. Kaitlynne and Dennis Brown were stunned by the amount of community outreach they received throughout their search for Honey.
Community members offered their help out of the kindness of their hearts, whether they actually went out to search for Honey or just reposted the Brown’s posts on social media. The Brown family is truly thankful for the help from their community in returning an important member of their family.
Honey needed a grooming appointment, but the family’s regular groomer was booked up for months. They decided instead of waiting, they would go to a new groomer who offered a pickup and drop off service. Shortly after the groomer picked Honey up, the groomer called them back in a panic, as Honey had escaped from her car and ran into the woods.
That same day, the Browns alerted community members in the area that Honey had gone missing and asked if anyone had seen her. One resident shared they saw her chasing a deer about 30 minutes earlier. Despite searching until 2am with spotlights and four wheelers, they did not find Honey.
The next day, Kaitlynne began posting on social media, asking everyone to be on the lookout for Honey and letting people know how to contact them if there is a sighting. After some searching of their own, the family soon received a call that let them know Honey was sighted on the corner of Farm Market Road and Route 98. Upon arrival, the residents let them know Honey ran into the cornfield and they were not able to catch her that day.
This pattern continued for days. The Brown’s would be notified of sightings from community members all around the area. A few times, they were super close to catching Honey. They would start to approach her, only for her to run away again and they would have to wait until the next sighting to see her again.
Honey went into “survival mode” while she traveled on her own. This means she was only focused on avoiding threats and potential predators. This made catching her difficult. There were a few instances over the 10 days she was gone that the Browns almost caught Honey. However, Honey only interpreted humans coming towards her as a threat and wanted to protect herself. She never let them get close for her to smell them, so she could not recognize they were her family.
On day 10, after multiple sightings in different places around the area and failed attempts to catch Honey, including those of trapping companies, Honey was spotted near an address on Route 219 heading towards Ashford. A resident in the area who had already been helping the Brown’s look for Honey headed to the area with his dog, Zoey. They followed Honey’s tracks until they were no longer visible. Zoey took over tracking Honey’s scent and led her owner to Honey in the woods. Zoey was able to bring Honey close enough that she could be hooked on a leash.
Dennis and one of his sons, Stryker, quickly go to where Honey had been caught and were able to take her home. Honey was happy to see them, wagging her tail and smiling when she first recognized her family.
Honey came to the Brown home two years ago as the last puppy of her litter to be claimed. As soon as they brought her into their home, she lit up their lives with her playfulness and high energy. Honey quickly bonded with Dexter, the Brown family’s other dog. Stryker, Pharaoh and Kaysen, the Brown kids, loved her instantly as well.
Though Kaitlynne and Dennis said Honey is once again acting like herself, she did not escape her 10-day adventure unscathed. While being treated at the Enchanted Mountain Urgent Pet Care in Olean, Honey was found to have 48 ticks and a swollen paw. She also lost ten pounds. But after some medicine, a few days of rest and a lot of love from her family, the Browns said Honey is feeling much better. They are so thankful for the help of everyone in the community in returning a member of their family.